


Crumble

by MillieMay



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, I did it again, Oops
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7997539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MillieMay/pseuds/MillieMay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After months SHIELD picks up on a hacking of their system. This leads them to a very familiar looking van...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I managed to snag my older sister’s laptop while she was at work so I was able to piece together this story that’s been stuck in my mind for what feels like months. This will be a four chapter series and hopefully by later tonight I will be posting the final chapter of Sweet Hellos Bitter Goodbyes. Stay tuned!

Melinda ducks behind a barrier as shots echo through the air. Out of the corner of her eye she sees something silver slide next to her spare hand. Her eyes meet Coulson’s as she picks up the reload for her icer. Sure enough when she checked she was empty. She hadn’t even been counting. Her eyes fall on his smug smirk. Part of her can’t wait til training later to wipe that dumb look off his face. Then a bullet crashes into her barrier snapping her out of her thoughts. She reloads her gun firing over the barrier taking out another of their attackers.

Not an hour ago Phil had picked up on someone trying into SHIELD’s data bases. They had managed to track the signal back to a very familiar looking van. Phil had been so sure that they had finally found her. It had been months… She began training a new strike team, Phil quit being the director and went back into the field, Fitz began working with Radcliffe, Mack took more frequent trips to secretly visit Bobbi using the disguising mask that Cyber Tek so kindly “loaned” the designs for… The only one who lingered around the base anymore was Elena who wandered almost phantom-like. Everyone she knew, everyone who was like her were gone. Why would she stay?

“May heads up!” She doesn’t even need the warning flipping the large inhuman looming over her barrier onto his back in front of her. She fires a quick icer blast to his chest ensuring he’d stay down for a while. She moves quickly sliding to the side of the van next to Phil.

It had been an ambush when they got there. A group of angry inhumans, calling themselves the Brotherhood, had risen shortly after Daisy went rogue. News of Lincoln’s death had gotten leaked somehow. What he had died for… Now the Brotherhood was in a war against SHIELD using both their powers and an impressive collection of weapons, likely raided from destroyed bases. They had been lured out before Fitz remarked a missing hood ornament of Daisy’s. The little hula girl that always sat on the dash was gone. They had barely managed to get Fitzsimmons back on the plane before the bullets began ringing through the air. 

She hooks her foot onto Phil’s linked hands wordlessly as he boosts her on top of the van. She fires two shots watching as another two inhumans crumple. All she can picture is Daisy, wild eyed, punching Mack sprawled on the ground over and over. Her tremors wracking his body. Her own bullet that stopped her. 

“There’s too many!” Mack shouts from the ground. “We need to retreat.” Her eyes trace the best path to the zephyr. Suddenly the ground jolts nearly sending her tipping off the van.

As the dust clears Daisy stands from the small crater she had created. Her heart leaps a bit at the sight of her. The young girl’s gaze is hardened and dark. A red beanie pulls her hair back from her face. The jacket wrapped around her shoulders is too big for her. Melinda’s throat constricts a bit as she realizes where she had recognized it from. Lincoln had worn it a few times when they trained in the cold mornings. She had done the same for Phil when he had died. She had stolen one of his Captain America shirt and worn it every night when she had thought… Melinda lowers her gun slightly letting out a soft breath.

“Stop!” Daisy’s voice echoes amongst the blasts. Both sides freeze and she swears she can almost feel Phil looking up at her. “This is not what I wanted!” She shouts. “SHIELD is not the enemy! Lincoln didn’t die for this!”

Melinda spies the movement before she even registers what side it’s from. A man with scales is pushing himself out of the rubble, the metal of his pistol glinting in the light of the streetlamps. She aims ready to fire when her gun clicks emptily. Without thinking Melinda leaps off the top of the van sprinting towards the girl she had watched grow. 

Images that haunted her nightmares bubbled before her vision. Skye laying motionless in the cryochamber, crimson staining her abdomen and her still cold fingers, her cheeks gray and hollow with the threat of death looming so close to her, her body convulsing painfully, her screams…

“Traitor!”

“Daisy no!” Melinda shoves the girl aside just as words of the man cut with the blast of his gun. She feels the blast before it even pierces her skin. The force pushes her back against Daisy, collapsing into her arms. Melinda cringes as she is hastily lowered to the ground. Daisy scrambles gathering her head into her lap to elevate her, her fingers pressing into the wound on her abdomen. 

“No… Not again.” Daisy whimpers as the ground begins to tremble with her. The jolting on her unsteady legs is excruciating but Melinda forces herself to adjust, gripping the girl’s shaking fingers.

“Daisy, breathe.” She groans. “Remember our breathing techniques.” Melinda reaches up with her free hand slowly gripping her chin weakly forcing her to meet her eyes. “I’m okay.” She breathes out slowly letting her arm fall weak. It feels like all the energy has been zapped from her.

The ground jolts again forcing the Brotherhood back, knocking down the remaining members. Phil slides next to them removing his jacket quickly.

“Mack get Jemma!” He shouts before murmuring words of comfort to the still shaking Daisy. “May’s been shot too many times to count.” He insists rubbing her shoulders comfortingly until the ground stills.

“Twenty four isn’t that high.” Melinda breathes with a pained laugh. It’s enough though to hear Daisy let out a small chuckle between her sniffles.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It feels like a century before Mack reappears. Phil can feel his heart shatter at the small whimper May tries not to make as he lifts her. Her cheeks are already losing color as blood pools between her fingers. He can’t react though. He has to keep Daisy calm. No matter what it takes.

The four of them navigate the plane quickly finding Simmons waiting in the makeshift medical bay. Mack lays May down across the bench as Jemma pulls rubber gloves on. She staunches the bleeding until the plane lands smoothly in the base.

As if the world is moving in fast forwards Coulson finds himself standing in wait as Jemma goes to work. The heart monitor fills the room with a steady, yet abnormally slow beat. It would be just like Melinda for her to be so damn calm after being shot in the stomach.

Jemma’s body stiffens after a minute. Tensely she steps away from May being sure to keep her hands as far from her body as possible. A small blue powder glints in the light of the petri dish where Simmons has abandoned the tweezers she was using to remove the bullet.

“Simmons?” Mack’s voice breaks the silence. She turns her eyes glinting over. 

“Who all touched her wound?” Simmon’s voice betrays her as it breaks half way through the question.

“Only me.” Daisy states, her fingers now clean. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Simmons takes a shaky breath allowing herself to gather her thoughts. “Those were not normal bullets. They used the casing for the dendrotoxin we use for the icers and… They’ve weaponized Terrigen crystals. When May was shot the crystal was powdered and if anyone touched her they…”

“Would become like me… or Trip…” Daisy whispers fearfully. 

Phil watches horrified as sure enough, rock began to crawl up the skin of his partner’s abdomen. Melinda who had remained silent for so long takes his hand in hers. His eyes meet hers, the fear reflecting in those eyes made his stomach flip. 

“Melinda I-”

“I know.” She whispers giving his hand a soft squeeze before it solidifies trapping his grip in hers. The rattling begins softly first, the materials shaking on the trays as Mack gathers Daisy in his grip. Simmons folds in on herself, loud sobs escaping her lips. Fitz steps behind her, a silent tear streaking down his cheek. A crack travels up the glass of the containment room as Melinda is enveloped completely. A pained scream escapes Daisy’s lips as she tries to contain the tremors as to not shatter May’s silhouette like she had Trip’s.

“No.” Phil’s voice breaks. “Melinda!” He tugs his hand desperately trying to free himself from the cold grip. The stone eyes were frozen with fear. An angry and desperate scream rips from his throat joining Daisy’s. His head falls to his still trapped hand.

The glass finally shatters as he feels the stone give away in his fingers. Softly a hand combs through the back of his hair. 

He raises his head in time to watch the stone give away to dark eyes and milky skin. Daisy cries out in relief wrapping a stunned May in a tight hug. The both of them groan in pain but despite themselves hug the other tightly.

Happy tears replace those of grief as Daisy sobs into her SO’s shoulder. He swears he hears her mutter that she’s staying.

The moment is so precious he can’t bring himself to bring up the obvious. May’s inhuman… They have no idea what that could mean for the any of them or even May herself. For now he’s all too happy letting the soft tears of happiness mingle with murmured apologies.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, we have a sneak peek and photos. I'm dead.

It had been three weeks since her terrigenesis. A week of solitary confinement. A week of intense testing. A week of excruciating physical tests that even pushed herself to her limits. Yet nothing had emerged from within her. She was able to lift as much as before, run as fast and as long as before, fight as well as before. Yet her head felt clustered, like there was a study buzzing between her ears.

The only one she had seen the past three weeks, besides lingering glances of course, was Jemma. The young scientist hadn’t wanted to take any chances until they understood what her powers were. Understandable of course with what they’ve seen. Melinda spent her time either in the lab or locked up in the inhuman containment chamber. Future seeing, super speed, liquefying objects, electricity… All used for good. Sucking the life out of someone, turning people to dust, pyrogenesis… All used for evil.

Melinda pulls the hoodie over her frame, a small smile playing at her lips. The shield symbol was worn after years of use. It was Phil’s during the Academy, he had jokingly thrown in at her after she had fallen asleep while studying. She threatened to keep at, well she still had it so it had to be more than a threat. She removed the electrodes from the sides of her forehead stepping out of the small exercise area Mack had installed for her. 

She punches in the code moving to the lab to give Jemma her final report before falling asleep. The same routine it felt like she had been repeating for weeks on end. Spend hours doing tests before passing out from exhaustion.

She steps softly into the lab finding the young scientist laying face first among her papers. It wasn’t until she saw her back rise and fall in slumber that Melinda allowed herself to breathe once more. Simmon’s safety glasses are set neatly next to her head, face shrouded by a mess of curly brown hair. A series of blood test being fell asleep on, Melinda felt almost obligated to leave her there, or at least tip off Fitz to come get her.

A whimper cuts through the silence making a chill run down her spine. She assessed for injuries once again before she saw it, the young woman’s face twisted in agony at her own mind. Night terrors. She was all too familiar with those. Gently May approaches her, brushing the hair out of her face. Jolting her could cause worse of a stir. Andrew had learned that lesson when she slashed him with a knife after Bahrain. She shakes the painful memory from her mind focusing on the task before her.

“Jemma,” She calls softly, fingers just barely brushing the temple.

_ Melinda feels an incredible force push on her body sending her spiraling, the only thing keeping her anchored being the mask strapped across her face. She takes a calm breath quickly assessing her situation. She somersaults in the water, finding herself staring at a very pale Fitz in the blue light of the chamber.  _

_ Her heart wrenches in her chest before the scenery switches. Her body collapses roughly into the dirt as strong winds try to force her backwards. _

_ She can feel desperation and fear coursing through her entire body. She could hear something sinister whispering her name amongst the whisking. Calling to her as ice runs down her spine. Her throat aches from screaming. She’s going to die. She can see a hand reaching for her. However, a hand wrenches on her ankle pulling her roughly across the ground. She finds herself staring into the eyes of Ward, dark and angry.  _

_ She’s not covered in dirt anymore. No, instead she’s pinned against a wall. He’s saying something but her heart is pounding in her ears. She can’t hear anything. His hand slides up her throat and- _

“May!” Melinda wrenches her hand away from Jemma as she stumbles backwards crashing into a table, sending lines of glass crashing onto the floor. Melinda sinks to the floor trying to comprehend what she just saw. Fitz risking his life for Jemma’s, escaping the alien planet, confronting Hive…

“Was that-”

“My memories?” Jemma asks, her eyes red rimmed. “Yes.”

“Simmons…” Melinda whispers softly. They had sent Jemma away after the ocean incident. They assumed she was fine… Then Melinda hadn’t even been around for her being stranded. Then she was too busy being angry over Andrew to focus on her team.

“Another time.” The scientist whispers comfortingly. “For now, assuming neither of us will be able to rest, I’d like to perform a few new tests.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Now, Agent May exhibited an advancement in the limbic system. This allowed her, upon touch to not only retain a sort of absorbance from my own but allow her to calm me after I had a nightmare without me being aware she was there until she had knocking over one of my test tubes in an effort to stabilize herself.”

Melinda looks amusedly at the crowd of agents who talk softly amongst themselves trying to decipher what she meant. “English Simmons.” Daisy is the first to speak up, her hands folded over her chest.

“Right, my apologies.” Simmons nods, “May appears to possess the ability of memory and emotional manipulation upon contact of whomever she touches. Last night she tried to wake me from a nightmare and saw them for herself. She, however, had the ability to control the scenarios and forced herself to calm down in said scenarios, unknowingly controlling my emotions.”

“Emotional manipulation?” Mack asks, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“Yes, with Agent May and Agent Piper’s permission I wanted to exhibit how her powers work. Now Agent Piper hasn’t had a traumatic experience, so the only emotions Melinda should be able to tap into should be Agent Piper’s happiness.” Simmons nods. Melinda catches Daisy’s eyes during her shpiel. She doesn’t need her powers to feel that she’s uncomfortable with the scenario. It had been her on that side before. Melinda didn’t like being put on display but they needed to know to be careful not to touch her, lest she make a mistake. “Ready Agents?”

“As ready as ever.” Piper laughs. Melinda’s hands tremble a bit as she places them softly on the agent’s cheeks.

_ “Come on Pip!” A man shouts as she slides into home plate before the tag lands. Her small body is wretched into the air as the man calls her safe. He spins her around in the air as the rest of the team rushes onto the field to celebrate. _

_ The cheers change as the setting settles into a bar. Shiny new SHIELD badges gleaming in the light of the bar as a voice leads them on in a celebratory cry of celebration. _

No. This isn’t right.

_ Victoria Hand pinning a badge on her jacket. _

It’s all…

_ Clapping her friends on the back after another successful mission.  _

It’s not fair.

_ Passing around a flask and solemn smiles after a failed one. _

Screams pierce the air as two groups of arms wrench her away from Agent Piper. Mack and Coulson settle her on the ground as she stares in horror at the collapsed agent. Piper in on her knees in a fetal position, her fingers clasped over her ears as she lets out an agonized scream.

Mack rushes over to the sobbing agent pulling her up as Melinda stares dully. 

“I killed her.” Piper cries. “I’m sorry she gave me no choice.”

“Melinda.” Phil calls softly stroking her cheek with his prosthetic hand. “Come back to me Mel…”

“I killed the girl. She killed so many people.” Piper cries, apologies escaping her lips. “She was only a little girl.” She can feel rather than see Phil tense. Daisy’s head whips towards her as well.

“Who?” Mack asks. “Agent Piper who did you kill?”

“I killed her. I killed Katya.”

Melinda scrambles to her feet running out of the room as quickly as she can. She locks herself in the containment chamber, turning around only to find Elena already standing in the middle of the room.

“Daisy told me to get here before you.” Elena says oddly calm for someone who just heard a murder confession… kind of. Daisy is only a few seconds behind her catching the door and forcing herself inside. She punches in a code isolating them from the rest of the team.

“What the hell was that May?” Daisy asks, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I don’t know.” She says shakily trying to regather herself. “I don’t know what happened.”

“Did you see something?” Elena asks confused.

“Those weren’t Agent Piper’s memories. They were May’s.” Daisy states calmly, despite her glare. “Sorry but like it or not we’re the only two that understand anything you’re going through right now. No amount of test Simmons does will help you understand. Trust me. I know.”

“You killed a girl?” Elena asks alarmed.

“I didn’t have a choice.” Melinda muttered pushing past the both of them. Elena moves to catch her wrist before remembering herself last minute. “I don’t know how to control this besides not touching anyone.”

“Wait you made it three weeks without touching anybody?” Daisy asks dumbfounded.

“I only ever saw Simmons. Everyone else is avoiding me.”

“May…”

“Stop.” May holds a hand up to Daisy before she can touch her. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please.” She almost begs. She can feel tears burning fiercely behind her eyes. “I just want to be alone for a while.”

“May that’s not-”

“Please Daisy.”  
Reluctantly she exits the room, filling the bitter brightness with silence once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this one took me a while to get out. I had really bad writer’s block for a while there. Thankfully a comment saved my ass. Parts of this are inspired by that said comment

May doesn’t hide, she fights. She doesn’t cower from her problems, she faces them without hesitation. Daisy watches the woman jogging on the treadmill, oblivious to her gaze, or ignoring it. The second option is much more likely. It took Piper an entire day in emotional rehabilitation to be able to comprehend that those memories weren’t hers. She hadn’t killed Katya, May had.

Jemma insisted on more tests, trying to understand the aspects of her powers. May, however, had sealed herself off in the containment room. She didn’t trust herself. It was unnerving. May, who is always so sure, now trying to distract herself from reality. She trains until she’s exhausted, then she collapses on the cot.

Not using her powers is taking a toll on her, Daisy can tell. When it’s been a particular while for herself it feels like her body is having it’s own personal earthquake. May stops every once in awhile, holding her head in trembling fingers. Her eyes twist shut for a few seconds, in a flash she straightens her spine and the episode is over.

May had made it a week through her terrigenesis without touching anybody. The very thought sends chills down Daisy’s spine. Sure she hadn’t been too outright with contact in the first place. It was sort of her thing. But even she would have her moments. She would correct her stance during training, she would gently wake Fitzsimmons and send them off to bed if they fell asleep in the lab, her fingers would linger on Coulson’s when passing him a beer. She spent a full week in that box, only talking to Jemma for tests.

“You can’t help her if she doesn’t want to be helped.” Elena’s voice next to her makes her jump. “Sorry, habit.”

“She’s getting worse.” Daisy remarks as she watches May nearly buckle after another attack.

“She’s afraid.” Elena murmurs. “Weren’t you?”

“Yeah but,” Daisy sighs. “May’s different. She never gets scared.” Elena throws her a side eyed glance of disapproval. “You know what I mean.” She mumbles. “Back at the Afterlife, Gordon told me the first thing my mother did when he turned… She embraced him.”

“It’s different for her. She’s been taught to fight one way all her life. Against friends, enemies, inhumans… It’s always been fists and weapons.Now she has an advantage. She doesn’t know how to cope with not knowing how to do something.” Elena frowns.

“Who told you all that?” Daisy asks looking back over to her.

“My brother. Said the same to me when I turned. Said I wasn’t different, I was family.” She smiles sadly. “Have faith in her Daisy. She’ll learn.” She claps Daisy on the shoulder turning to walk away. “Let’s go get a drink.”

Daisy lingers long enough to watch May fall against the sheets yet again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melinda wakes to the door sliding open steadily. She must have passed out from one of her frequent migraines again. She peers against the brightness to find Jemma staring at her with a large smile plastered to her face.

“I think I have found a solution to your problem.” Simmons passes her a pair of gloves that stretch midway up her forearm. “Now, I’m aware these are the same gloves we used with Daisy but they have modifications. Your powers seem to stem from skin contact. Therefore the common solution would be to cover up. However, these should serve to help in aid with your training. See they stimulate the neurons in your-” Melinda holds up a hand cutting the scientist off.

“Do they work?” She asks pulling them on.

“Theoretically. They should allow you to glance in on emotions but blocks your abilities to manipulate them. Now, how am I feeling?”

“Ecstatic.” Melinda replies sarcastically.

“Besides that,” Jemma sighs. “What else do you sense?”

Melinda stares at Jemma trying to focus. Emotions suddenly bombarded her, taking her by surprise. It was almost as if a voice was whispering her the answer. “Love, Fitz took you out for a lunch. It went well before you both had a mutual breakthrough.”

“Excellent. More.”

“Fear, you don’t want to fail.” Melinda shut her eyes. “Concern, compassion.” Her body tenses as the last word slips past her lips venomously, “pity.”

Jemma freezes, realizing herself. “Oh dear, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course not.” Melinda says with a frown. “I have to go. I have a team to train.” Melinda slips past the girl before she even has a chance to explain herself.

She can feel the eyes on her without even having to look up. Emotions radiating on their sleeves, voices pounding against her skull.

_ She attacked Agent Piper, poor girl didn’t even do anything. _

Fear pierces the air. Each person’s hearts escalating as she steps into view. Silently wondering if they’d be next. 

_ As if she didn’t need another advantage. Damn director already wants us to practically be her. _

Eyes shine with jealousy as she meets the ones of another agent. God they shouldn’t be jealous of her. This is hell.

_ Monster. _

Anger boils with the gaze of her cadets. Most of them had been classmates of Piper’s in the Academy. She was a good agent. Always listened, always volunteered. So eager to learn. Now her eagerness had gotten her attacked.

_ Monster. Monster. Monster. _

“Quiet!” Melinda shouts at the voices. They had to learn. They had to know. She feels her anguish pulsing in her fingers ready to direct at someone else. As soon as she tried, pain blossomed in her head, bringing her to her knees.

_ Monster. _

“May!” She hears Daisy shout. She can feel her fingers pull her own into her lap. Fear, anger, worry… Emotions bubbling from Daisy as she recognizes the gloves.

_ How could she? _

_ Monster. She tried to attack us. _

“Jemma!” Daisy cries as the scientist rushes up. 

“Oh no,” She whispers. “This was supposed to help.” Simmons tries to take her hand from Daisy’s. “I knew we should have done more tests.”

“No.” Melinda cries, flying back from Jemma. “No more tests. I’m not a lab rat. I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this.”

“Get out!” Daisy shouts to the recruits. They scramble from the room as fast as they can.

Melinda’s eyes meet Jemma’s, whispering. “You’re afraid of me.”

“No,” Simmons scoffs.

“I can feel it don’t lie to me!” Melinda shouts. Simmon’s eyes are watering, oh god no.

_ Guilt. Worry. Fear. _

“Hey!” Phil’s voice joins the ramblings of her mind. “Daisy take her out of here.” Phil states kneeling in front of her.

“But-”

“That’s an order.” Daisy pulls Jemma out on command. “Hey, Lin come back to me.”

“I feel like I’m going insane.” She groans.

“You’re panicking.” He says gently. His eyes fall to the gloves, gingerly he pulls the fabric from her skin abandoning them on the mats. Blissfully her mind is silent. “Lin, do you trust me?” All she can do is nod before he reaches for her hand. She snatches herself away startled.

“No! I can’t hurt you too Phil.” She whispers.

“You won’t. I trust you.” He smiles taking her fingers in his.

_ His chest heaves with effort as his lungs burn. He’d been running in the blazing sun for nearly an hour now. His muscle shirt clings to his back uncomfortably, his legs ache. He finally crosses the line allowing himself to collapse into the grass. _

_ A girl with a pony tail leans over him smiling brightly. _

It’s her.

_ “Losing your touch Phillip?” Her younger self teases. _

“Just relax.” He whispers pulling her closer to him.

_ “Hey!” He startles awake as a head hangs over the top bunk. Her younger self smiles mischievously. “Garrett is out and he left his shampoo unprotected.” She waves around a bottle of pink hair dye, arching an eyebrow. “Fancy a bit of fun?” _

“I’ve got you.”

_ His heart drops as he hears the gunshot echo from inside the building. He’s faster than any of the other agents scrambling to get inside. He has to get inside. He has to find her. She has to be okay. She sees the back of herself cradling the young girl in her arms. Bile builds in his throat as her walks up behind her. _

A sob wrenches from her throat. She had become no better than Katya. She leeches off of emotions. Slowly losing her humanity as she is overwhelmed by emotions. 

“No, Melinda. Focus.”

_His glass hits against hers. It’s a rare moment of peace. But it’s enough._  
He was always enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter’s a bit of a mess but my sister is rushing me to get off her laptop and I’m really sorry this is messy. I tried.

May stares from the door frame watching Piper train in the gym. Her tongue is heavy. She doesn’t know how she’s supposed to do this. She doesn’t do emotions. She has to. She has to at least apologize. 

“Use your elbows if you plan on doing close range attacks.” Melinda states stepping into the room. Regret immediately fills her as she sees the younger agent tense. Piper turns slowly to face her.

“Agent May.” She nods.

“Agent Piper.” Heavy silence fills the air for a couple of seconds. “I’m sorry.” The words feel strange on her tongue. It’s not enough. “I should have controlled myself.”

_ “You hurt me.” _

Melinda flinches at the voice. Piper’s lips didn’t move. She stood as still as ice. She could feel her discomfort… her fear.

_ “You shot her.” _

“You don’t understand.” Melinda defends. Piper’s eyes widen in realization. She stumbles backwards slightly. “I had no choice.”

“Get out of my head.” Fear spills down Melinda’s spine like cold water. No, not hers. Piper’s.

“You’re afraid of me.” The words come out more menacingly than she intends them to be. She has to understand. She has to make her understand.

“Agent May…” Piper takes another step backwards.

“You have to understand.” Melinda says, almost in a trance as she reaches towards the recruit.

“Get away from me!” Melinda snaps back with the shout. She looks from Piper to her own extended hand. Bile fills her throat as she pulls into herself. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispers. She has to get away. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Melinda!” She can hear Daisy’s voice calling to her but she’s carrying herself too quickly. She needs to get away. Before she can hurt anyone else. Elena is in front of her grabbing her before she can take another step.

“No!” Panic fills her as Elena’s face warps into one of agony.

_ A crumpled body lies with a sheet draped over the face. She feels her heart shatter, bile building in her throat. No. Not him. He was all she had left. _

The room spins quickly, Melinda realizes. Elena’s hand grip her wrists and her own are on the girl’s cheeks. Wind whips around them but all she can hear is the agonized screams of the girl across from her. 

_ The bullet pierces her abdomen before she can even react to anything else. Mack is by her side quickly cradling her head. It hurts. Oh god it hurts. _

A force knocks her to the side sending her sprawling across the floor. Her head snaps around but Daisy is on her before she can react. 

“May you need to calm down. Breathe.” May shuts her eyes tightly trying to gather her bearings but she can still hear the whimpers. Elena is collapsed on the ground, her hands clasped over her ears. Her shoulders shake with sobs. She did this. She’s a monster.

“Daisy get away from me.”

“May please.” Daisy reaches towards her slowly.

“Please don’t.” Her voice breaks with the plea but it’s too late. Daisy grips her hand in a desperate attempt to help her take control.

_ Her heart’s pounding in her chest as she reaches up to her neck. The necklace… No. It’s gone. _

_ “Yeah, sorry. I stole it from you.” Her heart falls to her stomach. No… This was supposed to be her punishment. She was supposed to pay for what she’s done. She betrayed her team. This isn’t fair. It’s supposed to be her. _

Melinda feels the ground begin to tremble beneath her. Her feet are unsteady as Daisy keeps a hold of her.

_ “Turn it back. Turn it back.” She pleads. She can’t let him die for what she’s done. This isn’t fair. He’s supposed to be here. He doesn’t deserve to die… she does. “Turn it back.” _

_ “I can’t. Remote access is offline.” _

_ “You have to. You have to.” She sobs. It feels like her heart is shattering. “Help me Coulson.” _

Daisy’s sobs break through the air. Oh god she’s hurting her. With a pained cry Melinda rips away. In slow motion Daisy collapses causing the earth to give out under her knees, the pavement cracking. She scrambles away trying to run. She has to run from this. She can’t hurt anyone else.

Phil wraps his arms around her stilling her. She hadn’t even realized he was here. Comfort washes over her in waves. He’s trying to direct her again. He’s trying so hard. 

“Melinda come back to me.” He whispers into her hair.

_ Glasses click together. _

“Come on Lin.”

_ His laughter pierces the air. _

“Come back to me.”

_ Hearts pound with footsteps on their first mission _

He cradles her tightly. Vaguely she feels him begin to tense as her feelings wash over him as well.

_ A gunshot pierces the air. _

“You have to control it Melinda. Let me help you.”

_ She’s sitting on the ground with the little girl gathered into her arms. _

“I can’t!” She shouts.

_ Pain rips through his chest. _

His scream breaks the room into a deadly silence as he throws her away from him. She hits the ground roughly her mouth gaping. She attacked him. They had tried to help her and she attacked them all. Her mind screams as memories flash past her vision. None of them are hers but all of them are far too personal.

_ “Get away from me.” _

_ “You don’t have to live with that pain. I will.” _

_ “Let me die.” _

Her hands tremble as she draws the ICER from her holster. Elena is pulling Daisy to her feet, Phil is coming to his senses. Suddenly Daisy’s eyes meet hers.

“May no!” She screams but it’s too late. Melinda pulls the trigger. Pain echoes through her shoulder for a brief second. Her body crumbles to the ground limp.

The voices are finally quiet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She flinches at the feel of someone stroking her hair. Her eyes snap open to Phil sitting at her bedside.

“Easy.” He says gently. Too gentle. “You’re in the containment room. It’s safe.”

“I hurt you.” Her throat croaks with drowsiness.

“I’m fine.”

“What I saw-”

“Lin I’m fine.”

“I can’t control it.” She mutters pulling her knees to her chest.

“When was the last time you did Tai Chi?” He asks suddenly. He stands offering her his fake hand. “Teach me how.”

“You want me to teach you how to do Tai Chi?” She scoffs. “I attacked you.”

“You were scared. It’s no different from Daisy when she was learning.” He says gently. Melinda clenches her jaw at the thought. She wants to say it’s different. She’s different… “So teach me instead. Take a break from learning.”

“I hurt you.” She repeats.

“I forgive you.” He says softly. Bright blue eyes stare at her with… hope, trust… no pity. He never pitied her. She hates pity.

“You shouldn’t.”

“I’m not leaving you Melinda. We can get through this.” He reaches out slowly, almost asking for permission. Softly she grabs his hand, placing it on her cheek hesitantly. Warmth washes over her as he smiles. She almost wants to cry at the feeling. There’s no fear. Just forgiveness, trust… love.

His forehead touches hers hesitantly. It only seems to intensify the feelings. She wraps her arms around his neck closing her eyes. The voices beat numbly against the back of her mind but it doesn’t matter.  
He’s here.


End file.
